Lamine Yamal has long been tipped to take over the No. 10 role at Barcelona and was used in that position to good effect in the win over Real Betis last weekend.
The teenager absolutely thrived centrally. He completed all his passes in the opening 45 minutes, set up two goals for Ferran Torres and scored Barcelona’s fifth from the penalty spot.
Hansi Flick spoke about his decision to switch Yamal from the flank to a move central position after the match.
He told reporters: “I spoke with Lamine about the new position. We came up with the idea with the coaching staff, and then we asked him if he could envisage himself playing as a No 10. He said yes, that he liked it, so we went ahead and tried it.”
The move came as something of a surprise, although journalist Lluis Carrasco has told Jijantes that Yamal would rather play as a 10 than out wide.
He explained: “Lamine Yamal’s father told me that 10 is his son’s favorite position. He’d always like to play there. I really liked seeing him as an attacking midfielder. It opened my eyes. He can give much more of himself.”
It’s no secret that Yamal was used as a false nine or an attacking midfielder during his time in La Masia and is absolutely no stranger to the role.
Yamal was back in his usual wide right position in midweek against Eintracht Frankfurt but was not as effective as the Bundesliga side often ensured the youngster was surrounded.
The teenager still managed to grab an assist, as well as a yellow card that will earn him a one-match ban, and cut a frustrated figure when he was subbed off after the game.
Frankfurt’s approach is likely to be adopted by more and more teams seeking to nullify Yamal going forwards which raises the question – is it time to see more of Yamal in a central role?
Where is Yamal best deployed by Barca? Let us know in the comments below!
